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Last Vermeer to Remain in Private Hands: A Young Woman Seated at a Virginal
Aside from a picture owned by Queen Elizabeth II of England, this is the only other Vermeer known to be owned privately. It is also the most recent to be firmly attributed to the master. In addition to myriad investigations in the 1990s and after, recent analysis has found that it was painted on canvas cut from the same bolt of cloth that Vermeer used for The Lace Maker, which today hangs in the Louvre. more »
Memoirs, Biographies, Historical Fiction and Science Fiction: Recommendations from Jane Gitschier's Bookshelf
Jane Gitschier reviews science-related books. "I bow to Richard Rhodes, author of my all-time favorite science narrative The Making of the Atomic Bomb. Do not be intimidated by a little nuclear physics. This book is a lucid page-turner: the story is both magnificent, speaking to the genius and industry of men and women working under the incredible pressure of war, as well as terrifying in its implications, and we feel the tension in it." more »
"You Think I Should Choose Life?" Asks Lady Mary in Downton Abbey's Season Four
New characters, old emnities, revelations, complicated relationships, romances, London literati, hardships ... where do the the plot twists and infatuations end? Not for a while, as Season 4 begins and beyond that, a planned-for Season 5 lies. more »
The Power of Poison and Unique Gifts at the American Museum of Natural History
Humans have long marveled at the secrets of poisons and sought to detect their presence and protect against their toxic powers, as many fascinating artifacts on view at the exibition will reveal. Prized objects included celadon dishes, believed to detect poisons; fossilized shark teeth, thought to be dragon tongues that could "purify" food of deadly compounds; and fossilized sea animals called crinoids, believed to be antidotes to common poisons. more »